“Education is primarily a personal matter; it has little to do with school or college.”

It is said that home is the first school of a child. It is at his home that he learns his first lessons of life. As he grows up, he comes in contact with the society which teaches him how to interact with others. After a certain stage, formal education of the child begins in schools. Schools and colleges are responsible for his educational and professional growth. While education is a continuous process and is a personal matter, I believe that schools or colleges have an equally important role. We cannot defy this role and say that education has little to do with a school or college. Without these institutions, our society would have a different shape all together.

Education is a non-stop and continuous process. This means that it does not begin only after one joins school or come to an end with the end of school or college. It continues even when one leaves the school since a person is always learning something or the other. This learning can be direct or indirect. When a person makes efforts to acquire knowledge and learn new things it adds to his education. On the other hand, indirect learning comes from his various experiences in day-to-day life. In this case, education is a personal matter. It is independent of any school or college. For example, if a child gets burnt by touching fire he will learn that fire is hot. Similarly, a person will learn the tricks of the trade only by practice and experience. A potter cannot make good pots without learning and practicing the art. It is through this education, that comes with experience, that we learn about our environment and the world. While a lot of this education comes without any extra effort done by us, there is a lot that depends upon the attitude of a person. Only if a person is inquisitive and ready to learn new things will he be able to increase his knowledge. Therefore, even when formal education stops, it does not put an end to a person’s education. It is completely in the hands of a person to educate himself as much as he wants and that is why it is said that education is primarily a personal matter.

On the other hand, schools and colleges are the bodies responsible to make a society educated. Schools and colleges have a definite goal to achieve. All their activities are centered on developing the child into a well-balanced personality by imparting knowledge of different fields. This is a direct form of education where students are taught by experienced and learned teachers. The future of a country depends upon the education of its people. Only if the new generation is given the right education at the right time will it be able to take up the responsibility in the future. Apart from the society, the school and college a person attends have a great impact on his life and future. The career and profession followed by a person is greatly decided by his education. Needless to say, this education can be sought only in some educational institution. It is in these institutions that students can study, perform experiments and practicals, learn from their teachers and friends and get their degrees. This is not possible at a personal level.

Without schools and colleges, our society would not have been as civilized and educated as it is today. It is only these educational institutions that take up the responsibility of giving basic as well as professional education to people and bring awareness in the society.